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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Why Hello, Handsome!

Readers, I am totally geeking out over how awesome I think this bound buttonhole looks. I used a new method, and this was my FIRST TRY at it. I learned the technique in a new book I bought called The Sewing Bible(which by the way, is proving to be a totally worthwhile purchase), and it's very similar to this fabulous welt pocket technique. You face the buttonhole with a patch of silk organza and then position the "lips" behind it and attach them with a couple fancy moves. It's so completely rad that I'm going to make a video this weekend to show you the method in action.

You might notice that this fabric is the purple doubleknit I chose for my background dress. Which means YES, the Background Dress of Doom is underway! It's kind of a funny story. May I share?So remember how I mentioned I was on muslin number three for this project and just couldn't get the fit right? Well, this is going to sound horribly careless, but I finally decided to just cut the original pattern with a bit of an extra seam allowance and hope for the best. I did a basted fitting. And guess what? THE FREAKING DRESS FIT PERFECTLY WITH NO ALTERATIONS.

All I can really do at this point is laugh at myself and hopefully learn from the situation. Basically, a few things were at play.

The pattern I had was a size 34" and I was convinced there was no way it would fit. I started adding a lot to the side seams without really checking. Bad Gertie.

I also reshaped the skirt without making it up as the pattern called for first. I was hoping for a curvier look, so I used the silhouette of my Jenny skirt pattern - my tried and true pencil skirt - to get a new look. I seriously distorted the pattern this way without even realizing it, as the skirt is meant to be a bit more voluminous in the front than in back, and I completely threw off the balance. And the more tweaking I did, the worse I made it. I'll say it again: Bad Gertie!

Lastly, I made my muslin in well, muslin, but I'm using a doubleknit for the dress. Doubleknits can stand in for wovens as they're a very stable knit, BUT: this particular doubleknit has a fair amount of two way horizontal stretch, allowing the fit of this dress to be more formfitting rather than tailored. So I had more wiggle room in the pattern than I thought.

So there you have it! Lesson (hopefully) learned. The very hard way.

Here's an in-process shot of the collar interfacing. VoNBBS calls for muslin interfacing to be basted to the actual dress collar, and then bound buttonholes are made at the neckline, after which the facing (with no interfacing) is applied to the collar.

Below is the side zipper in progress. (Look how different the purple looks in each of these photos! It's such a tricky color to capture.) VoNBBS and other vintage patterns often use a strip of fabric as a placket at the front side of the lapped zipper, creating a sort of facing. Let me know if you're interested in learning more about this method - I took all sorts of photos for a potential tutorial.

And thus the Background Dress of Doom marches on in its heretofore troubled journey towards fruition. May it be smooth sailing from now on!

The purple looks amazing, sooo curious about the finished dress! Very much looking forward to the bound button hole-video, I'm just getting started on learning to do those.I'm very happy for you that the dress is coming together after all the trouble it's been giving you!

I understand the value of muslins and have seen time and time again how they've helped the sewist solve a fitting issue but each piece of fabric comes with its own set of complexities and I think that's one of the things you've learned with this dress.

It looks like its going to be a beauty! Can't wait to see the final garment.

HURRAH! I'm so excited you were able to work through the fitting problems (sometimes it gets so discouraging... :p) and the dress is in progress now! Definitely a bound buttonhole tutorial, please. Even though I "cheat" now with my bound buttonhole tool, options are always good.

I've started using that placket method a lot lately--it's come in very handy for certain projects that I want to create a zipper placket for, but don't have enough seam allowance.

Anyway, best of luck on the rest of the construction--it looks fantastic so far! :)

I am so happy you are going to post a tutorial on bound buttonholes! I haven't tried them yet and am really excited to learn an easy and great looking technique! I would also be interested in that zipper tutorial! YAY! so happy it is coming along!

Beautiful buttonholes! I can't wait for the video. Wow, that's a lesson learned the hard way indeed, but don't you love it when you learn something through the process of making a garment? I mean, of course it's fun to whip up a dress in just a few hours, but if it doesn't go that smoothly and you learn something from that - that lesson will stay with you and make sewing other things much easier, no? (Well, that's how I calm myself when I freak out over a rebellious sewing project)

Oh yay, how exciting! I would be so grateful for a tutorial on this method of making bound buttonholes. I've tried 3 or 4 different methods that work, but the buttonholes are always a bit "off." A placket tutorial would also be helpful! I keep coming across the method in vintage pattern instructions, but for some reason, it never computes in my head how it works. Best luck in your dress completion!

So glad the background dress is finally going your way! And yay for more video tutorials.

On the few vintage patterns I've worked with (that is, older than me, not just old ones that I bought for myself back in the '70s!), I've found that the tops had loads of ease, and I only needed to add at the hips and back waist length. Sewing is always an adventure!

There is nothing that raises the level of class on a garment like good-looking bound buttonholes. So, I'm am very much looking forward to your video on this technique because I love them sooo much. And Carolyn is so right about 'each piece of fabric' coming with its own set is issues; I always have to measure the pattern at my 'spots' and think through what I'm really going to need.

Bound buttonholes scare the bejeezus out of me. My current project calls for 8 (8!!) and I was going to avoid them and just do machine ones. But, if you post that tutorial, and you swear it won't hurt, maybe I will have a go at them.

ack! these kinds of mistakes are always the most frustrating but always the most relieving when you figure it out! I just had a sorta similar experience with running tailor's tacks. My first tailor's tacks ever. I never thought we would be friends. The Background dress is my FAVORITE dress in this book! I can't wait to see it. The button holes and the buttons look spectacular!

I wish I had the patience for small details but I end up being so excited for finish I take modern shortcuts. I promised myself this year I would be a little more meticulous about things like that when it came to sewing.

Like Carilyn (cmarie12) said about the complexities of muslin, and sometimes the weight/material that the pattern needs cannot be substituted by woven cotton. I hope for no further headaches for you!

I love using bound button holes, they look so much more professional than the machine function! Also wanted to say I saw your pattern review of the Jenny skirt in the May issue of Sew Hip, I love it and can't wait to try it!

Wow, I love the button in the pic of your perfect buttonhole! Looking forward to the tutorial on it. I confess to being slightly freaked by them. Would appreciate a tutorial/vlog on the lapped zip you mentioned, sounds interesting. Thanks.

For anyone reading this blog in the UK there is an interesting exhibition starting in Hartlebury Museum in Worcestershire (near the West Midlands) about life in the 50s/60s, including 'fashion'. Thought people might be interested. Am hoping to go myself as I saw it advertised at my local library. Check out the webpage below:

I'd like to see a bound buttonhole tut. It is a technique I'd like to attempt.

Good luck on finishing the dress. I'm on muslin #4 (or is it #5 or #6? I've lost count) of a dress. At this point I want to just cut into my darn fashion fabric and sew it up, problems and all. So you are not being a good influence on me today! ;)

pretty please post a tutorial of the zipper method! i have quite a few zippers waiting to be put into things, and unless i do it entirely by hand they always turn out crap.also - can't wait for the bound buttonhole video! i have yet to master these, and i have a dress that is nearing the buttonhole-needing stage, and i think bound would be the way to go...waiting anxiously for the background dress reveal!

I just had a similar experience with the Rooibos dress. I made up the bodice in a size 8, then transitioned down to a size 12 in the skirt (after making muslins of the bodice in sizes 12 and 10). Guess what? The top is too snug and the skirt is too big. Maybe a not-so-fancy standard size 10 would have done the trick! But now I have an excuse to make it again. Also, I know I'm a day off, but the beige shoes from yesterday are super cute. I'm going to find them to see if they also come in red, to wear with my slightly off Rooibos.